It was a pleasant surprise to discover the creative and deeply humane side of a celebrity chef, who is known globally for his culinary skills and charming demeanor. After all, when your fame comes from your culinary expertise as a Michelin starred chef, no one really expects you to create socially responsible cinema or literature - Vikas Khanna's The Last Color. Or for that matter, involve yourself deeply in philanthropy and charity to feed millions during the difficult lockdown.
But Chef #VikasKhanna has gone ahead and done just that. He fed millions of street children and destitute people through the six month long lockdown in India. He penned a touching story about the conditions of widows and destitute children in our country.
Image courtesy: Telengana Today via Google
And he has made and co-directed this film called #TheLastColor that literally wrenches your emotions and hits you in the gut. It is quite obvious the film - that has been feted at the international film festival circuit, for its sensitive depiction of the socially ostracized and under-privileged people in the holy city of #Varanasi - is a labour of love and social commitment.
The stars of this film are destitute kids, abandoned widows, a hapless transgender, an oppressed housewife, all being abused and tortured by a megalomaniac, oversexed policeman reveling in his toxic masculinity.
Without preaching or moral lecturing, the film fixes an impassive spotlight on the ugly side of the religious city -Varanasi. Here, people come to get salvation from their sins, where the mighty Ganga is at her purest. Yet this is the place where misogyny and exploitation -along with sexual abuse, run rampant. From the shopkeeper to the matron of the widows' hostel, from the constables to the bystander, all are steeped in patriarchal mindset. All contribute to the rampant exploitation and bulldozing that goes around.
However, the quite fortitude of the underdog - particularly in the vagrant child and the abandoned widow - who form a deep bond sustaining each other, triumphs in the end.
It is the triumph of the indomitable human spirit that refuses to give up, despite being trampled, crushed, and bled almost to death.
The forces of evil almost douse the essential sanctity of life, but the city and its people rise from the ashes literally, with a touch of Gangajal.
And it is the underdog that emerges victorious - the traumatized, yet innocent Chhoti, the subdued but resilient Noor, the abused yet hopeful Anarkali.
I was moved to tears with the touching climax where an injured, battered Chhoti runs from her captives and splashes Holi colors on Noor's lifeless body. And the reference to Tagore and his vision warmed the cockles of my heart.
Go watch this film (now streaming on #AmazonPrime) to learn about a side of India that we deliberately overlook and pretend that it doesn't exist.
We can fervently hope to go towards a better tomorrow that is more inclusive and humane in approach. Where piety and divinity are ingrained in our souls and behaviour.
For hasn't someone said "Injustice anywhere is the abuse of justice everywhere"?
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